News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-10-13

events" said Hardin. ''The floral bell
is swinging already in the hall of the
Lomax house ready for his wedding
chimes. Ha, speaking of the decora-
| tions, that reminds me. Sartini, the
florist told me he had just received an
/ importation of Italian plants, and l
promised Darby I'd call by and tell him
to send up one of those superb moon
| flowers for Miss LOmax. Sartini is GER
! tain he he has one that will put out its
! blossoms just about the time of the mar
riage. Darby thinks that would be q
pleasing omen for his bride"
He returned his paper to the file and
at once took his leave to attend to his
commission.
A few hours later brilliant company
was assembled in the parlors of the Hon.
the celebration of the marriage of his
daughter and heiress to Philander Dar-
by. What fate was there now which
might balk the most sacred plans of the
bridegroom's life? Still Fortunes fa-
vorite, he had already received at the
altar, consecrated by the high priest,
Love, her most gracious boon, in the
cOnjugal VOWS of the woman he aaOred,
and among her bridal guests his young
wife was moving, the stateliest and low
lest of them all.
In a pause in the dance her eyes frank
ly met his devouring gaze. He was at
her side in n moment.
"Come with me awhile, can you not,
Carolyn" he eagerly whispered. sit
is n mad mockery to me, this phantas
of lights, flowers, and nOdding
hob
ing between you and me. Surely
we may be entitled to at least
quarter of an hours emancipation from
the shakes of les cOHcen0nces.
She smiled and, humoring his fancy,
put his hand within his arm.
"Whither would you have me go!
There are lights and people every
where"
He looked down upon her, smiling.
The moons rays only have right to
be where our mOon-fOwer is opening its
blossoms. Dunbrek had had less an
artists eye had he failed to see the pc
culiar fitness of that alcove for the shy
charms of our lunar plant"
She moved at his side, roseate and
palpitant So, this explained the diplo-
macy he had used in inducing the old
gardner to move some of his choicest
plants from the retired alcove to give
place to the heavily foliaged plant sent
up from Sartini's. He had meant that
only the mOOnbeams should be there be-
fore herself and run to see the faint
blossoms open their hearts of perfume.
Much of the conservatory was in q blaze
of light, as the balance of the house was;
but by detour, Darby succeeded in in
Producing himself and his bride into the
alcove unseen. In this transverse sec
ton, where the fern mounds ended, they
found, as anticipated, their seciusion in
vaded only by the half light from the
outer conservatory, and the splendor
of the moonlight that was flooding the
new plant. They bent together over
their floral treasure. The bride uttered
a cry of delight.
''See, Phil, it has five or six blooms
on it already, and there are other buds
opening. Did you ever see anything
lovelier!'
eyes, he answered wit gravity; eyes,
my Carolyn, [ have seen something love
lier."
She bowed her yelled head lower over
the pretty bowers. A strong arm was
passed about the slender figure.
Oh, my beloved ~ was whispered in
her ear, ''these blossoms are but insen-
safe things, at best; don't waste your
caresses upon them. l am consumed
of envy of my own gift to you"
She was yielding to his touch, ex-
panding into new beauty as the plant
was doing in the embrace of the moon S
rays.
Out from theshadows ola fern mound,
to one side of the absorbed lovers, a
face, livid, sharpened, contorted,
glanced for a second. The brides veil
caught in the calyx of one of the half
opened buds. The moon-plant shivered
through all its foliage. One of its
stems snapped sharply, and Carolyn
drew back with one of the buds en-
tangled in the mesh of her veil.
''Ah, the pity of it, y she cried, taking
the despoiled bud into her jeweled fing-
ers, and gazing upon it regretfully.
"Ah! if 1 might but undo the ruin l
have wrought.
SO intent was she looking at the
broken flower, and so intent was he
gazing at her in her wistful beauty,
that neither of them saw what the pair
of staring eyes, shadowed by the fern
frouds, caught a glimpse of-the hide
Ous many-legged beast that had darted
forth from the foliage of the shaken
plant Alert upon one of the broad
leave it stood until the quivering of foil
age settled into stillnes, then it
crouchd, waiting.
"Ah! Phil, " murmuredthe bride, her
evey dewey, and her voice tremulous,
''what if we should find our welded
happiness to be no more than this
moon-fower, lovely to look upon, but to
be brokon by the first rough usage.
See! [ cannot make even this small
bud attach itself again where it may
gather life and beauty anew"
She bent forward, making pretty
pretense of re-uniting the plant and its
severed blossom; but instantly she
started back, making vain effort to
suppress the exclamation of pain or ter
ror that sharply broke the stiffness OF
the conservatory. Her cry was shrilly
echoed on the instant from the clump
of ferns close by, which, violently agi-
tated, gave sudden egress to the figure
Of man.
| 1t was Bardineli, late master in music
to Carolyn 1t was to the side of his
former pupil he now darted. Darby